Dr. Hyde is in possession of the Black Diamond, and Jonah Hex has to stop him in the current story arc of "All-Star Western." / DC Comics

by Brian Truitt, USA TODAY

by Brian Truitt, USA TODAY

Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti have been working together for a decade, and they know one thing for sure: Neither one of them is as neurotic as Dr. Amadeus Arkham or as psychopathic as comic books' favorite disfigured bounty hunter, Jonah Hex.

However, the two pairs have been a winning hand thus far with the DC Comics series All-Star Western, written by Gray and Palmiotti and featuring the late 19th-century adventures of the oddball duo of Hex and his psychiatrist pal Arkham.

"When you work with somebody, there's compromises and head-butting and everything, and if we were that crazy, then shots would be fired and it'd be like an old saloon," Palmiotti quips.

After tussling with serial killers, the secret society Religion of Crime, the Court of the Owls and its Talons and a homicidal clown, Hex and Arkham's working relationship is put to the test in All-Star Western issue 15 (available Wednesday in comic shops and online) in the form of a classic character from literature.

Dr. Jekyll has come to Gotham, and so has his evil alter ego Mr. Hyde, who has Arkham and the mystical Black Diamond in his clutches. Jekyll's serum, meanwhile, ends up in the good doctor's hands - and mouth - "and Arkham goes ballistic," Gray says.

So Hex'll have to tackle two lunatics instead of one, adds Palmiotti. "Obviously he has a connection with one and not the other. The best humor comes from crazy circumstances, and in this case Arkham losing his mind - well, more than he usually does - is a pretty fun scene with Jonah trying to deal with him."

In addition to the continuing main story with Arkham and Hex illustrated by Moritat, All-Star Western has had backup tales featuring other DC Western characters such as Tomahawk, Bat Lash and the new Barbary Ghost, whom Gray and Palmiotti worked into the current Gotham-set arc.

However, bringing in Jekyll and Hyde from outside comics also made sense for the writers since the 1886 Robert Louis Stevenson novella took place in the same period that Hex and Arkham are working in Gotham. Plus, Gray liked the idea of exploring the duality not only represented by Jekyll and Hyde but also by the two sides of Hex's face and the personalities of Gotham City residents (Batman, Two-Face, etc.) in DC lore.

"It seemed like a way to do it without encroaching on any of the modern-day characters in Gotham," Gray says. "Although All-Star Western isn't a 'superhero' book, there are certain things we can do with different kinds of characters that can give it that kind of vibe."

The Black Diamond continues to play an important role in the current All-Star Western arc - as well as in other DC series such as Demon Knights and Team 7 - as does old Gotham City, where Gray and Palmiotti want to keep the series set at least for the near future.

"We write a book that people buy, and people who buy it love that Jonah is in Gotham. So there's a part of that where we have to give the people what they want," Palmiotti says. Hex is sticking around town for a while, but they're exploring other places in the backup stories "and those will tie into the main story like we've done here and there."

The current story line wraps in issue 16, and Gray has a two-word tease for it: "Arkham's mom" - "That's one of my favorite issues. I don't know if anyone else is going to like it," he says with a laugh.

But issue 17 begins a new arc that features an appearance from immortal villain Vandal Savage (last seen in present day in DC Universe Presents), the reveal of a hidden, shameful part of Gotham history that's been paved over and forgotten on purpose, and how Hex, Arkham and Bruce Wayne's ancestors are caught in the middle of it.

"It puts Jonah Hex in a different place, Arkham in a different set of mind, and we lean into something that no one is going to see coming," Gray says.

All-Star Western is Gray and Palmiotti's latest stint on all things Jonah Hex, continuing from an ongoing Jonah Hex series they launched in 2006. But the twosome aren't just stuck in the 19th century â?? they also do the DC series Human Bomb with artist Jerry Ordway and the digital comic Ame-Comi Girls featuring a "remix" of familiar female characters, plus the writers' independent work such as the recent graphic novel Retrovirus.

While Gray and Palmiotti may not share their characters' neuroses, like Arkham and Hex they do come at their work from two different places, as they've done since first teaming for the 2002 Wildstorm miniseries 21 Down.

They'll argue over character motivations, plot twists and thematic elements, and when they talk - which is every day - "we step in the ring and we have a different agenda," Palmiotti says. "But the fun part is usually both of us notice that the other person's agenda is needed. That's what comes with working together.

"It always feels like everything we're doing, this is the most important thing," he adds. "We have to make this the best. Oh my God, everything's at stake. Every single time, no matter what we do. We've got the Human Bomb - this has to be the best Human Bomb anyone's ever seen!"

Doing different kinds of projects also helps to create freshness, both for the writing team and their fans.

"We see every job as sort of our last chance to make a difference," Palmiotti says, "and it's probably a healthy way to look at things, too, because they don't get boring."